Bayberry (Yangmei) Wine

Why people make this wine

Fresh bayberry (yangmei) comes into season cheap and bright, but many people find it too tart to eat much of — and old-timers warned that eating a lot could stir up sores. Turned into wine, though, it becomes a gentle, pleasant thing: traditionally associated with supporting upright qi, harmonizing the stomach, and aiding digestion, and a small spoonful is said to help with food that won’t settle, upset stomachs, and the achy, run-down feeling of overwork. The sweet-tart wine is lovely sipped neat or used in cooking.

Method

1. Remove the stems and caps from the bayberries. Rinse in cold boiled water with a little salt, drain, and air-dry.
2. Place the fruit in a glass jar. Pour in the rice wine and add the crushed rock sugar; the wine should just cover the fruit by 1–2 inches.
3. Seal and keep in a cool, dark place. It is ready to drink in about 2 weeks. Take 1–2 tablespoons at a time.

Nourilo’s Tips

White (clear) rice wine gives the brightest color. It’s best to drink bayberry wine within a month or two; if you’re keeping it longer, lift the fruit out — otherwise the wine turns from red to a reddish-brown and the flavor falls off. Bayberry isn’t too tart, so about half the fruit’s weight in rock sugar is plenty (very tart fruit usually takes a 1:1 ratio).